Updated on: December 17th, 2019 5:04 PM

Rainfed Area Development Programme

To ensure agriculture growth in the rainfed areas, the Department of Agriculture Cooperation and Farmers Welfare has launched the "Rainfed Area Development Programme (RADP)" in the year 2011-12 as a sub-scheme under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). The key objective of this scheme is to improve the quality of life of farmers' mainly, small and marginal farmers by offering a proper package of activities to maximise the farm returns. RADP scheme focuses on Integrated Farming System (IFS) for enhancing productivity and minimising risks associated with climatic variabilities. In this article, we will look at the Rainfed Area Development Programme (RADP) in detail.

Objective

The principal objective of the Rainfed Area Development Programme is listed as follows:

• To increase the agricultural productivity of rainfed areas in a sustainable manner by adopting appropriate farming system based approaches.
• To minimise the adverse impact of crop failure due to flood, drought, or un-even rainfall distribution through diversified and composite farming systems
• To restore the confidence in rainfed agriculture by creating sustained employment opportunities through improved on-farm technologies and cultivation practices
• To enhance the farmers' income and livelihood support for the reduction of poverty in rainfed areas

Eligibility Criteria

Farmers' Companies, Registered Farmers' Societies, Farmers Cooperatives will be eligible for developing a cluster. The support is restricted to the eligible limit for members. Due consideration should be given to ensure that farmers rights and ownership issues are not violated

Financial Support to Farmers

Financial support will be provided to those who wish to add another compatible farming component to their existing system. It should have the potential to merge at least two or more major components of the farming system as envisaged under the eligible components to qualify for the support.

• Farmers can choose one or combination of farming systems suitable to the specific ecosystem supported through local KVK, SAU, ICAR Centre, ICRISAT, ATMA for maximising agricultural productivity.
• Based on agro-climatic conditions, investments in the farming system will vary.
• Support to each farm families under RADP will be restricted to a farm size of 2 hector and all-time financial assistance of Rs. 100000 in case of arid and semi-arid zones and Rs. 80000 for sub-humid and humid areas, even if most of the components are planned as per the financial pattern indicated below.

Note: No farmer can claim for further assistance under RADP beyond these limits. However, construction or renovation of farm ponds and construction of the poly house are excluded from these limits.   Credit support if required, will be arranged to meet the balance. Farmers will also be assisted in setting up a low tunnel poly house for raising planting materials and cultivating cash crops, including vegetables and flowers etc.

Prescribed Authority

As mentioned above the RADP will be implemented as a sub-scheme of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY). The State Agriculture Department, the nodal agency for implementation of Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana will also be implementing the Rainfed Area Development Programme (RADP).

Focused Areas

All the rainfed areas having a large extent of cultivable land and potential for increasing agriculture productivity are to be covered under Rainfed Area Development Programme (RADP). Within the rainfed areas, priority will be provided to arid, semi-arid and sub-humid ecosystems. The districts having less than 60% of the cultivated area under irrigation and influenced by arid (31), semi-arid (133) and sub-humid (175) agroecosystems are to be prioritised for RADP. The Eligible Districts for Coverage under RADP is given in the document: Backward districts in the Kerala and North Eastern States which are under humid agro-eco-systems but having less than 30% cultivated area under irrigation will be covered under the programme. Implementation of the scheme is proposed to be undertaken in the following areas

• Areas already developed under watershed programmes
• The area where water resources have been developed under the MNREGA scheme, MoWR Schemes
• Areas being developed in on-going or new watershed and other such schemes
• The area where some commodities are being promoted through the National Food Security Mission (NFSM), National Health Mission (NHM), NMMI
• New areas having the potential for farming systems development

Release of Funds

Funds for implementation of Rainfed Area Development Programme projects will be released by RKVY Division, after approval of the Projects by the SLSC as per the funding pattern and process of release for other RKVY Projects.

The Pattern of Assistance under RADP

Sl.No	Item	Type	Maximum Permissible Cost	Pattern of Assistance
1	Cropping System	Rice/Wheat Based	Rs.40000 per hector	25% or Rs.10000/ha or cost of inputs (Seeds, Fertilizer, plant nutrients, PP Chemicals and herbicides) whichever is minimum. Limited to 2 hectors per beneficiary
		Coarse cereal Based	Rs.20000 per hector	25% or Rs.5000/ha or cost of inputs (Seeds, Fertilizer, plant nutrients, PP Chemicals and herbicides) whichever is minimum. Limited to 2 hectors per beneficiary
		Oilseed Based	Rs.30000 per hector	25% or Rs.7500/ha or cost of inputs (Seeds, Fertilizer, plant nutrients, PP Chemicals and herbicides) whichever is minimum. Limited to 2 hectors per beneficiary
		Fibre Based	Rs.40000 per hector	25% or Rs.10000/ha or cost of inputs (Seeds, Fertilizer, plant nutrients, PP Chemicals and herbicides) whichever is minimum. Limited to 2 hectors per beneficiary
		Pulse Based	Rs.20000 per hector	25% or Rs.5000/ha or cost of inputs (Seeds, Fertilizer, plant nutrients, PP Chemicals and herbicides) whichever is minimum. Limited to 2 hectors per beneficiary
2	Horticulture based Farming System		Rs.50000 per hector	50% or Rs.25000/ha or cost of inputs (Seeds, Fertilizer, plant nutrients, PP Chemicals and herbicides) whichever is minimum. Limited to 2 hectors per beneficiary In case of Boundary plantation, Rs.25 plaint in the first year and Rs.10 per survived plant per year for three years
3	Tree/Silvi-Pastural		Rs.30000 per hector	50% or Rs.15000/ha or cost of inputs (Seeds, Fertilizer, plant nutrients, PP Chemicals and herbicides) whichever is minimum. Limited to 2 hectors per beneficiary In case of Boundary plantation, Rs.15 plaint in the first year and Rs.5 per survived plant per year for three years
4	Livestock-based farming system		Rs.80000 with 2 animals  + 1 ha CS	50% or Rs.4000/ha or cost of animal and inputs (Seeds, Fertilizer, plant nutrients, PP Chemicals and herbicides) whichever is minimum. Limited to 40000 hectors per farmer
			Rs.50,0000 with 2 animals  + 1 ha CS	50% or Rs.25000/ha or cost of animals and inputs (Seeds, Fertilizer, plant nutrients, PP Chemicals and herbicides) whichever is minimum. Limited to 25000 hectors per farmer
5	Fishery based farming system		Rs.40,0000 per hector without the pond Rs.75000 per hector with pond	50% limited to 2 hectors per farmer
6	Apiculture (Bee Keeping)		Rs.3500 per colony	50% limited to 12 colonies per 2 hector farm
7	Silage making for increased availability of green fodder round the year		Rs.40000 Rs.25000	100% assistance for silage making unit, 75% for distribution and introduction of chaff cutters and weighing balance.
8	Seed Production for Coarse cereals, pulses, oilseeds and vegetables		Project-based with a limit of Rs.50000 per hector and maximum size of one unit will be four hectors other than PSU/SAU	100% assistance to Public sector organization and 50% to grower association, farmers company and group of farmers
9	Green House		Rs.935 per square meter Tubular and Rs.515 per square meter for a wooden structure	50  % limited to 1000 square meter per beneficiary
10	In-situ moisture conservation		Rs.5000 per hector	50% limited to 2 hectors per farmer
11	Postharvest and Storage		Rs.3 lakh per unit	50% of capital cost
12	Farm Mechanism		Rs.20 lakh	Rs.10 lakh per unit
13	Crop Insurance		Premium amount

Performance Monitoring

The performance of RADP will be monitored as per the online progress monitoring system RKVY, and Management Information System developed for RKVY Projects. Data fields required for RDMIS will be as per the format is given below.

Beneficiary Card

The selected farmers will be supplied with a Beneficiary Card in which entries will be made for all assistance provided along with returns from the investment. Periodical field visit, verification and review will be undertaken by the State and District Nodal Agencies.